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From the Archives: Water

A variety of panellists, old and new, discuss solutions to water-based gardening challenges.

Kathy Clugston steers the ship through the deep waters of the GQT archive where a variety of panellists, old and new, discuss solutions to a variety of water related gardening challenges.

They debate the question of rainwater vs tap water for plants, restoring waterlogged clay soil and alternatives to water butts in narrow terrace gardens. There's also advice on flood‑damaged garden recovery and recommendations for trees for flood‑prone & drought‑prone parkland.

Producer: Rahnee Prescod
Assistant Producer: William Norton

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

Available now

42 minutes

Last on

Sun 22 Mar 202614:00
BBC Radio 4

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Featured

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Plant List

FEATURE – Flood‑damaged garden recovery (original ep. Brixham - Sun 29 Jul 2012, Anne Swithinbank & Toby Buckland) (00’45”)

  • Salix spp., willows

  • Cornus spp., dogwoods

  • Ornamental grasses (general)

Q1 – Clay soil resuscitation - Restoring waterlogged clay soil

(2014, Anne Swithinbank, Christine Walkden, Bob Flowerdew) (05’06”)

Q2 – Rainwater vs tap water for plants (Original ep. Walsall Arboretum - Sun 9 Mar 2025 with Matthew Wilson, Bunny Guinness, Marcus Chilton‑Jones) (10’09”)

  • Rhododendron spp., rhododendrons

  • Camelia spp., camellias

Q3 – Using grey water safely (Original ep. Latitude Festival - Sun 22 Jul 2018 with Bunny Guinness, Bob Flowerdew, James Wong) (15’18”)

FEATURE – RHS Wisley Clear Lake & watering strategies (2023, Matthew Pottage & Pippa Greenwood) (19’55”)

Q4 – Alternatives to water butts in narrow terrace gardens (2019, Paul Barker & panel) (26’24”)

Q5 – Trees for flood‑prone & drought‑prone parkland (Original ep. Darley Dale, Sun 5 Oct 2025) (30’09”)

Marcus Chilton‑Jones

  • Liquidambar styraciflua, sweet gum

  • Liquidambar formosana,Formosan gum

  • Taxodium distichum, swamp cypress

  • Ginkgo biloba, maidenhair tree

Beth‑Anne Cullerton

  • Glyptostrobus spp., Chinese swamp cypress (context: marginal conditions)

  • Various drought‑/flood‑tolerant conifers

Bunny Guinness

  • Betula nigra, black birch, river birch

  • Tilia spp., lime trees

  • Quercus ilex, holm oak

  • Quercus suber, cork oak

Q6 – Growing vegetables in a flooded area
(Original ep. April 9th, 1947 - How Does Your Garden Grow? Broad Oak Hotel in Ashton, with Tom Clark, Fred Loads, Bill Sowerbutts and Dr EW Sansome, with Bob Stead as chair) (35’19”)

Q7 - Aquatic soil vs topsoil in ponds (original ep. South Downs Sun 19 Mar 2023 , Juliet Sargeant, Pippa Greenwood, Matthew Pottage)

  • Iris pseudacorus, yellow flag iris

  • Pontederia cordata, pickerel weed

Broadcasts

  • Fri 20 Mar 202615:00
    BBC Radio 4
  • Sun 22 Mar 202614:00
    BBC Radio 4

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